Former Ravenswood Star Merritt Patterson Join’s E!’s Soapy Drama The Royals — Who Is She Playing?

Ravenswoodstar Merritt Patterson (Olivia) has just been cast in our future TV obsession: E!’s first scripted series, The Royals. Though the show isn’t set to premiere until 2015, production begins this month in the UK — which hopefully means lots of onset tweets! What is this show about and why are we so excited Merritt is a part of it? Read on to find out!

According to Deadline, Merritt will play an American girl, Ophelia, who happens to be in a secret relationship with the son of a fictional royal family in modern-day London. You see, Ophelia is the daughter of the royal family’s head of security, and the queen does not approve of the relationship. Drama! We’re getting some potential Romeo and Juliet vibes from this set-up — crossed with The Prince and Me, maybe?

Merritt’s love interest will be played by none other than The Chronicle of Narnia hottie William Moseley, and the disapproving queen will be played by the excellent Elizabeth Hurley. Merritt seems excited to work with the gang, sending out this enthusiastic tweet earlier today: “Wonderful morning with the lovely and talented @ElizabethHurley & @alexxandrapark Happy Friday everyone! #TheRoyals.”

We have to admit: for E!’s first foray into scripted television, they seem to be going all in. We hope it pays off. This cast and premise are exciting, as is the fact that the show is actually filming in the UK. The creator, Mark Schwahn, is perhaps best known for his work on One Tree Hill, which had some good seasons. And, though we were underwhelmed by Ravenswood on the whole, we enjoyed Merritt’s performance in it. We’re eager to see her in another role, and hopefully one that will give her a greater chance to shine.

Do you think The Royals sounds good? Are you excited to see Merritt involved with the project? Sound off in the comments below!